A Christmas to Remember
by Jeanniefan78
Summary: Sequel to "Kibbs Drabbles". It is Gibbs's and Kate's first Christmas together and different things that take place spark memories of the past for Gibbs and for Kate. It is also a memorable Christmas for Tony. The story is in chapter format this time.
1. Chapter 1

**A Christmas to Remember**

**Written by: Jeanniefan78/April**

**Author's Note: **_This is my fifth NCIS fanfiction story; Sequel to "Kibbs Drabbles". I want to remind everyone that my stories are slightly AU because Kate is still alive._

_The Ari incident is mentioned in this story, but in an AU fashion. :) I hope you will all enjoy this story as well as my others. :)_

It is two days before Christmas and everything at NCIS headquarters is all a buzz as everyone is hustling to get everything done so that they can leave for their holiday.

Tony comes walking in the bullpen with a big smile on his face. "Hey, Probie. Check these out," he says, putting a pair of reindeer antlers, that light up, on his head.

McGee chuckles. "Where did you get those?"

"They were in with my Secret Santa present," Tony says, holding up two new ties.

"Who was your Santa?"

"Agent Wright in legal," he says. "What did you get?"

"A toboggan, scarf, and gloves gift set. My Santa was Agent Sterling."

"Nice look, Tony," Kate says, walking up.

"Why thanks!"

"You're welcome," she says. "Oh, by the way. Rudolph called. He wants his antlers back," she teases.

"Ha ha," he says.

"Hey, Kate," McGee says. "Are you the one who made that 7-UP cake that was downstairs at the Christmas party?"

"Yes, I did."

"That was one delicious cake."

"Thanks. It's from one of my Grandmother's old recipes. I'm not sure where she got it from, though."

"Well, it sure was good," McGee reiterates.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"So, what did you get from your Secret Santa?," Tony asks her.

"I got the prettiest purple sweater," she says, opening a gift box and pulling a purple sweater out of it.

"Hey, that is nice!," Tony says. "Who was your Santa?"

"Agent Forrester," she says, folding her sweater and putting it back in the gift box.

"Well," McGee says. "I'm gonna get out of here. I have to go and pick up my sister and we have to get on the road."

"Where are you guys going?," Kate asks.

"To our Grandmother's in New York. It's been a few years since we've been there for Christmas."

"Well, I hope you two enjoy yourselves."

"Thanks," he says. "Merry Christmas, everyone." McGee starts walking off, toward the elevator.

"Merry Christmas, McGee," Tony and Kate say in unison.

"So, what are you doing for Christmas?," Kate asks Tony.

"Oh, you know me. I always have big plans."

"Like what?"

"Oh, you know…" He goes over to his desk and picks up a couple of file folders. "Oh, look. I guess I better take these upstairs." He walks off toward the elevator.

Kate stands there, feeling and looking very confused. She thinks to herself, a short moment longer, and then, takes her cell phone out of her jeans pocket, dials a phone number, puts the phone to her right ear, and walks off.

"Lauren," she says. "Yeah, it's Kate…I need to ask you something."


	2. Chapter 2

A few minutes later, Kate comes wondering back over to the bullpen to find Gibbs shutting his computer down and putting some things away.

"Hey, Honey," she says with a smile.

"Oh, hi. Are you about ready to go?"

"Yeah, but first, I need to ask you something?"

"What's that?"

"How much Christmas spirit do you have?"

Gibbs gives her a nervous look. "Why?"

"You're probably not gonna believe what I'm about to say, but, I think we should ask Tony to go with us."

Gibbs raises his eyebrows, slightly. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am. I was talking to him a few minutes ago and I don't think he has anywhere to go."

"Did he tell you that he didn't have anywhere to go?"

"No, not in so many words. It's the way he acted when I asked him what his plans were and how he tried to avoid answering me."

"Oh."

"I called Lauren and asked her and she said it was perfectly fine with them. I told her I'd call her back and tell her for sure after I talked to you." Kate slightly pauses. "Come on. You know that even as annoying as he can be, he should not spend Christmas alone."

"Yeah," he says, looking softly at her. "You're right."

"Good," she says with a smile. "And I think you should be the one to ask him to come."

"Kate…"

"Jethro, he's more likely to agree to come if you ask him because, like it or not, you have a certain way about you that Tony knows better than to go against."

Gibbs smiles. "You have a point."

Tony comes walking into the bullpen, toward his desk.

"Good," Kate says. "I'll go call Lauren and tell her."

"Okay."

As Kate walks off to the side with her cell phone, Tony picks up his stuff and starts to walk off, toward the elevator.

"Hey! DiNozzo!," Gibbs calls after him.

Tony stops and turns around.

"Where do you think you're going?," Gibbs asks, walking up to him.

Tony gets a confused look on his face. "I'm going home."

"Yeah, you're going home alright…just long enough to pack your bags."

"What?"

"You're going home to pack your bags because you're coming with Kate and me to her brother's house."

"Oh…Well, thanks anyway, Boss, but I…"

"DiNozzo," Gibbs says, cutting him off. "Was there anything in my voice that told you that this was up for debate?"

"No," Tony says, a little stunned.

"Alright. Kate and I will be by your place in about an hour." Gibbs turns around and starts walking away.

"Okay," Tony says, still a little stunned. He, then, turns around and goes toward the elevator.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mama, what time are they gonna be here?"

"They should be here anytime now. They had a couple of stops to make before they left D.C. and then, they were gonna head this way."

"How long does it take again?"

"A few hours."

"I can hardly wait! I wish they'd hurry and get here!," Becca says, excitedly.

"Becca, calm down. I know you're excited, but they'll get here when they get here. We wouldn't want them to get a ticket or have an accident."

"I know; I just…"

"You're excited and that's okay, but just try to calm down a little," Lauren says with a smile.

Lauren looks down at the dining room floor, where she almost trips over a bucket of legos.

"Braden Riley Todd!"

Five-year-old Braden comes running into the dining room. "What?"

"What is this?," Lauren asks, pointing to the bucket of legos.

"My legos," he says, nervously.

"And what did I tell you to do with them?"

"To put them up," he says, innocently.

"Then put them up, and don't make me have to tell you again."

"Yes, Ma'am," he says, picking up the bucket of legos.

"Then, look around and make sure you haven't left anything else out."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"I wonder where Dad is," Becca says.

"He probably got tied up with something at the church. He said he needed to get some last minute stuff done for the pageant and that he was gonna try to be home before your Uncle Jethro, Aunt Kate, and their friend get here."

"Should I call him?"

"No, Honey. Lord willing, He will be home soon."

"Okay."

The doorbell rings.

"They're here! They're here!," Becca cries.

Lauren goes to answer the door, with Becca trailing along behind her and Braden rushing down the stairs to meet them.

"Hey! Get in here!," Lauren cries upon opening the door.

"Hey! Merry Christmas!," Kate says, hugging her sister-in-law.

"Merry Christmas!," Lauren says, breaking the hug. "I'm so glad you all are here."

"So are we," Kate says. She, then, gestures toward Tony. "And this is Tony."

"Yes, I remember you from the wedding," Lauren says, shaking Tony's hand. "Welcome to our home."

"Thank you," Tony says.

"This means you get to come to our Christmas pageant!," Becca says, excitedly.

"I'm looking forward to it," Tony says with a smile.

"Well, come on in. Have a seat," Lauren says, escorting them into the living room. "So, how's married life treating you two so far?," she asks Gibbs and Kate.

"Wonderful," Gibbs says with a smile.

"Yeah, it's great," Kate agrees. "We're starting to get into more of a routine now."

"That's good," Lauren says.

"Are yall gonna have a baby?," Braden asks.

"Braden!," Lauren exclaims.

Tony coughs to suppress a laugh.

"Uh, no. Not yet, little guy," Kate says, trying not to laugh. "Maybe someday, but not right now."


	4. Chapter 4

"So, being married feels pretty good so far, huh?," Lauren asks Kate.

"Oh, yes. It's wonderful," Kate says with gleaming eyes. "I love it."

"You really do seem happy."

"I am. And it's hard to put into words, you know?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Things seemed to happen so fast between us, but yet, at the same time, they didn't. We began falling for each other from the moment we met and then when we decided to face up and admit how we felt, it was like…" Kate gestures with her hands. "Well…"

Lauren chuckles. "I know what you're saying."

Kate chuckles. "Thanks." She pauses briefly. "I still remember how the day after we started going together, we just talked and talked during our date and then, that night after he got home, he called me to say goodnight and we ended up spending about 3 more hours talking on the phone."

"It's good how yall got to know each other as friends."

"Exactly. We decided in the beginning that that is what we wanted to do is develop our friendship above all everything else and it just really felt good that there wasn't a lot of pressure like there seems to be in relationships these days."

"Yup. I totally agree." She pauses briefly. "Oh, that reminds me." Lauren gets up from her kitchen chair, walks over to the kitchen counter, and picks up a greeting card. "When we were at my parents' house last weekend, they asked us to give this to you and Jethro." She hands Kate the card.

"Oh," Kate says in a delighted tone. She opens the envelope and finds a "Congratulations on Your Wedding" card as well as a $50 gift card to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. "Oh, wow! Please tell them thank you so much!"

"I will."

At that moment, they hear more commotion coming from the living room.

"They do enjoy those video games, don't they," Kate says.

"Yes, they do," Lauren agrees.

At that moment, Kate feels a pair of hands touch her shoulders and she looks up. "Oh, hey, Honey," she says to Gibbs.

"Hey." He leans down, kisses her on the lips, and then, starts to massage her shoulders.

"Would you like anything else to drink, Jethro?," Lauren asks.

"Oh, no thanks. I've had plenty."

"Okay," Lauren says.

"Honey, look." Kate hands Gibbs the card and gift card. "That's from Lauren's parents."

"Oh," Gibbs says, obviously pleased.

"Yeah, they told us to tell yall they're sorry it's a little late."

"Oh, that's no big deal. It's the thought that counts," Kate says.

"That's very nice. Please tell them thank you," Gibbs says, very pleased.

"I will," Lauren says.

"What time is it?," Kate asks.

"Good grief!," Lauren says, looking at her watch. "It's 11:00!"

"It's that late?," Kate asks, surprised. "Wow." She looks at up at Gibbs. "We need to go and bring our stuff in."

"Yeah, we do," Gibbs agrees.

"And I have two kids that need to get to bed," Lauren says, getting up from her kitchen chair.

"Yeah, I'm kind of tired myself," Kate says, getting up from her kitchen chair, following behind Lauren.

Gibbs follows behind Kate.

"Okay," Lauren says, entering the living room. "Becca, Braden, it's way past your bedtime."

"Oh, no, Mama! Just a little longer?," Braden whines.

"You heard your mother, Son," Jeff says.

"Yes, Sir," Braden says, walking off, toward the stairs, following behind Becca.

"I'll be up in a minute," Lauren calls after them.

"K, Mama," Braden calls back.

"Goodnight, everyone!," Becca calls.

"Goodnight!," the adults call in unison.

Lauren turns her attention back to the adults. "Okay, Tony, you're gonna take the guest room. It's the room at the end of the hall to your left, at the top of the stairs." She looks at Gibbs and Kate. "And you two are gonna take Jeff's and my room."

"No, no. We can take the hide-a-bed," Kate says.

"Absolutely not, Sis," Jeff says.

"Well, I don't have to take the guest room. I can…," Tony says.

"Ah…," Lauren says, cutting him off. "You're taking it."

"Okay," Tony relents. "Thank you. I appreciate it."


	5. Chapter 5

A little while later, Kate is lying in bed and yawns. "Oh, I am so tired."

"Yeah, me too," Gibbs says as he climbs into bed, next to her.

"It's our first Christmas," Kate says with a sparkle in her eyes, turning over on her right side, and looking over at Gibbs.

"Yeah, I've already gotten what I want this year," he says, gazing at her, lovingly.

Kate lovingly smiles at him. "I'm so glad I married you."

"Me, too," he says, still gazing at her.

Kate smiles, scoots closer to him, and snuggles up next to him as he puts his left arm around her. She drapes her left arm, part ways across his stomach, and rests her hand on his chest.

"I love you," he says and then, kisses the top of her head.

"I love you, too," she says, closing her eyes.

Gibbs, then, proceeds to grunt and clear his throat.

Kate's eyes pop open. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs, if you so much as dare to even try and pull what you did at home last week, I will belt you."

He cuts his eyes down and looks at her, very innocently. "What? I didn't do anything."

"I didn't do anything," she mocks. She, then, looks up at him. "Yeah, you only cut the nastiest fart ever and then, pulled the covers up over my head and pinned me under them so it took me forever to get out!"

Gibbs continues to look at her, innocently, trying not to laugh.

"Don't give me that innocent look. You know exactly what I'm talking about. And if you'll remember correctly, you told me later that that was one of the things you looked forward to most for when we got married."

Gibbs turns his head, slightly, trying to suppress a laugh. "Well," he says, turning his head back toward her. "You're the one that forgot to put the potato in the beans that night."

"Oh, so now it's my fault. You…"

Gibbs cuts her off with a kiss.

"So, you think kissing me is gonna get you out of trouble?"

"It worked last time, didn't it?"

"Ha ha," she says, sarcastically. She kisses him and then, lays her head back down in the crook of his arm, and closes her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

"You guys were great!," Kate says to her niece and nephew as they all come in from the pageant.

"Thanks, Aunt Kate," Becca says. "You and Mom sang good, too."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, Kate," Tony agrees. "I never knew that you, of all people, could sing."

"Yeah, well…," Kate says, smiling.

"Becca, if you want to help me with the cookies, you better get your clothes changed."

"Yes, Mama." Becca scampers off upstairs.

"What can I do?," Kate asks.

"If you could start the cheese dip, that would be great. The Velveeta is in the fridge, the rotel tomatoes are in the pantry, and the small crock pot is in the bottom cabinet, next to the stove," Lauren says.

"Sure." Kate goes over to the fridge. "Thanks for asking me to sing that song with you," she says as she and Lauren are milling around in the kitchen.

"Oh, hey! No problem! I enjoyed it."

"Me, too. It's been ages since I've gotten to sing with anyone in the family. Then, when you brought me a copy of the accompaniment track, when you came to the wedding, I just couldn't say no."

"Yeah."

A little later, as the girls are all preparing the Christmas Eve munchie dinner, Jeff comes wandering through the kitchen and snitches some cookie dough from the bowl where Becca is mixing.

"Daddy!"

"What? It's just a little cookie dough," he says with a mouth full and as he starts washing his hands.

"When we were kids," Kate says to Becca. "We called him "Sticky Fingers" as he was always snitching when Mom was baking."

Everyone chuckles.

"Yeah, well you used to snitch food off of everyone else's plate when you were a baby," Jeff says, playfully sarcastic.

"Oh, is that so?," Kate smarts off.

"Yeah. Mom would fix you your own plate and you would still snitch food off of anyone's plate that you could reach."

Kate sticks her tongue out at him.

Jeff laughs and goes to the freezer to get some ice for his cup. Suddenly, he gets a playful idea. He smiles to himself, puts some ice in his cup, sets the cup down, gets one more piece of ice, goes over to Kate, and quickly puts the ice down her back.

"Ahhh!," Kate cries as Jeff runs off. "Jeffrey Dale Todd, I'm gonna get you for that!" She runs off after him.

"Oh no," Jeff says as he runs out the back door with Kate chasing him.

Everyone quickly rushes to the back door to watch the funny sight unfold.

"Get him, Aunt Kate!," Braden cries.

"Oh, I will!" She picks up a good amount of snow, packs it into a ball, hurls it at her brother, and nails him.

"Alright, you asked for it," Jeff says, playfully. He throws a snowball at her, but misses.

"You forget, I can throw better than you," Kate says, sarcastically and breathlessly.

"So, I see," Jeff says, breathlessly, and walking toward her. "You know you love me," he says, hugging his sister.

"Yes, I do. Most of the time, anyway," she says, walking toward the door arm-in-arm with her brother.

"Ha ha," Jeff says.

"Well, as soon as the cookies are finished baking, we can eat," Lauren informs everyone.

"Whatever it is, it sure smells good," Tony says, sounding hungry.

"Thank you, Tony. Whenever we're here at Christmas, it's been our tradition to have a "munchie-like" dinner on Christmas Eve and then, a traditional dinner on Christmas Day."

"Awesome!," Tony says.

"Yeah, we have the little cocktail sausages, heated in barbeque sauce, homemade cheese dip with tortilla chips, and sometimes sausage balls. But, I haven't made those in a long time because there usually ends up being too many and they go bad and dry out," Lauren says.

"It sounds great," Tony says.

The oven timer goes off. "Well, just one more batch and the cookies will be done."


	7. Chapter 7

"This cream cheese dip is fantastic!," Tony says, swallowing a bite of food.

"Thank you," Lauren says.

"Where did your uncle get this recipe?"

"Actually, I'm not sure, to tell you the truth. I'll have to ask him the next time I talk to him."

At that moment, Braden lets out a big burp.

"Braden!," Lauren says, shocked. "What do you say?"

"Excuse me."

"Next time, cover your mouth, Son," Jeff reminds him.

"Yes, Sir."

"Would anyone like anything else?," Lauren asks.

"Nothing for me, thanks. I'm full," Kate says.

"Nothing for me," Gibbs says.

"Me either," Tony says.

"Nothing for me, Honey," Jeff says.

"Can I have a cookie, Mama?," Braden asks.

"After we read the Christmas story," Lauren answers. She, then, gets up, walks over to a bookshelf, picks up a bible, and brings it back to Jeff.

"Becca, would you turn the stereo off, please?," Lauren asks.

"Sure, Mama," she says, getting up, walking over to the stereo, and turning it off.

"Okay," Jeff begins. "The gospel according to Luke, chapter two. **1**. In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. **2**. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) **3**. And everyone went to his own town to register. **4**. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. **5**. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. **6**. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, **7. **and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. **8**. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. **9**. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. **10**. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. **11**. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. **12**. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." **13**. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, **14**. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." **15**. When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." **16**. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. **17**. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, **18**. and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. **19**. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. **20**. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."

"Amen," Lauren says, along with ad-lib from everyone else.

"Hey, Kate," Jeff says. "Do you wanna sing that song you learned when we were teenagers?"

Kate looks confused for a moment. "Oh, that one," she says, remembering. "That means you on the piano."

"You got it," he says, going over to the piano. He sits down and begins to play.

Kate begins to sing the song, "Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella".

As everyone listens intently to her, they smile contentedly.

"That was beautiful, Sweetheart," Gibbs says.

"Thank you," she says.

"Yeah, Kate. I'm impressed," Tony says.

"Thanks."

"Hey, Mom. Can we watch "The Flintstones Christmas Carol"?," Becca asks.

"Maybe later. Right now, I want you two to go ahead and get your pajamas on. Then, we'll see about the movie."

"Okay," Becca says, heading upstairs with Braden trailing along behind her.

Gibbs looks over at Kate. "Do you feel like taking a short walk?"

"Sure." She looks at everyone else. "Please excuse us. We're gonna go for a little walk."

"Okay, sure," Lauren says and then, goes toward the kitchen.

"So," Jeff says, looking over at Tony. "How long have you worked for NCIS?"

"Around 4 years now, I think."

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah, I do. I was a cop in Baltimore before, but I like NCIS a lot better."

"That's good. It's always important to enjoy your work."

"Yeah," Tony agrees.

"Oh, by the way. I don't think I properly thanked you, when we came for the wedding, for saving my sister's life in that shoot out."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Tony says, brushing it off.

"No, I'm serious, Tony. I can still remember how I felt when Kate first told me about it. She didn't give us all the details, because of confidentiality. But I remember her calling and asking us all to pray because yall had a tough case to deal with and that she nearly lost her life that day when yall were involved in a shoot-out. But, just in the nick of time, you knocked her down and out of the way. I don't think our family could ever say thank you enough for what you did."

Tony is touched. "Well, it was my pleasure."

"I know there's always that chance with the line of work she's in, but still. Losing my sister is not something that I'm prepared to deal with. Of course, one can never really prepare, but…" He trails off.

"Yeah," Tony agrees. "She's a good girl, your sister."

"Yeah."

"I know I pick on her a lot, partly because it's so much fun," he says, chuckling.

"Yeah," Jeff says, chuckling.

"But the truth is, she's been like the sister I never had. Maybe that's why it's so much fun to pick on her."

Both of them laugh and high-five.

"I'm guessing you're an only child?"

"Yeah. My Mom died when I was young. After she died, my Dad remarried several times, but nothing ever lasted and things just seemed to go downhill. I guess you could say that everyone I work with at NCIS is like the family I never had, but always wanted. When I got sick and nearly died back in May, right before that shoot-out, Gibbs, Kate, McGee, every one of them were there for me. Kate even stayed with me in the hospital and she didn't have to do that."

"Yeah."

"But, of course, just like brother and sister, we picked at each other the entire time."

They chuckle.

"But seriously, and I know I can speak for our entire family, thank you again for what you did."

"You're welcome."

"Mama!," Braden calls from upstairs. "Becca won't let me in the bathroom," he says, coming down the stairs.

"Tattle Tail!," Becca exclaims, coming down the stairs. "I was in there first!"

"But she was taking too long!," Braden whines.

"I was not! I just barely…"

"Alright, hey! That's enough, both of you!," Lauren cries. "I will not have that whining from either of you."

Tony chuckles quietly. "I suppose that's typical brother and sister."

"Yeah," Jeff agrees.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey," Kate says as she and Gibbs step off the porch and begin walking down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, Sweetheart."

"You're thinking about Shannon and Kelly, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I…," he trails off.

"Hey," she says, looking at him and squeezing his hand. "It's okay. Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Oh… It brings back so many memories, you know? Christmas was always a big deal to Shannon and to Kelly."

"Yeah."

"And when Becca asked about watching "The Flintstones Christmas Carol", it made me think of how Kelly loved watching "A Flintstone Christmas" every year," he says with a smile.

"Yeah," Kate says with a smile.

"And Shannon was always very adamant about reading the Christmas story, every year, like your brother just did." He blinks his eyes in such a way as to try and hold back tears.

Kate squeezes his hand. "I know you miss them."

He looks over at her. "Yeah, I miss them a lot." He turns his head and wipes his eyes.

"Hey," Kate says, stopping walking and pulling him into a hug. "Come here."

He wraps his arms, tightly, around her.

"You know you don't have to try and be brave for me. It's okay to cry if you want," she says, rubbing his back, consolingly.

"I know," he says in a broken voice and with tears rolling out of his eyes. He squeezes her a tad more.

"There you go. Just let it out," she says as she continues to hold him and rub his back, consolingly. She, then, feels herself begin to cry with him. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Sweetheart." He squeezes her and then, breaks the hug.

"Feel better?"

"Much."

She smiles, pulls his head down, and kisses him on the lips. She, then, caresses his face with both hands and wipes away some tears that were still on his face with her thumbs.

"Why on earth would you go and fall in love with a guy like me?"

"I didn't fall in love with a guy like you. I fell in love with you. And I fell quite hard."

They chuckle.

"You know, they say falling in love takes time, and I believe that's true to a point, but I have to tell you, I began falling for you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. Although I've dated and gone out with other guys before you, I never truly knew what is was like to be in love, until I met you."

Gibbs smiles, lovingly, at her. "It's like I told you the night before our wedding. You've reminded me what real love is all about. And if Shannon could've picked someone for me to love, it would've been you."

"Aww," she says with tears filling her eyes and hugging him. "Thank you. That really means a lot."

"You're welcome, Sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you, too, Darling."

He pulls back, slightly, and tenderly presses his lips against hers.

"Come on," she says, breaking the kiss. "What do you say we go and watch "The Flintstones Christmas Carol" with the kids?"

"Sounds good," he says, contentedly.

They smile at each other and walk off, arm-in-arm.


	9. Chapter 9

As Braden plays in the living room floor with legos, he looks up when he hears the front door open and sees Gibbs and Kate walk in.

"They're back! Can we start the movie now?"

"Just hold your horses, Son, and let them get their coats off," Jeff says.

"Yall didn't have to wait for us," Kate says.

"Yes, we did," Braden says. "Mommy and Daddy said so."

Tony coughs to suppress a laugh.

"Son," Jeff says. "Just put up your legos."

"Yes, Sir," he says, picking up his legos.

Lauren meets Kate and Gibbs in the entryway. "You'll have to excuse him. He's getting more and more outspoken as the days go by."

"It's okay," Kate says, chuckling.

"Does that remind you of someone?," Lauren asks.

Kate looks in Jeff's direction. "Uh, yeah."

Lauren, Kate, and Gibbs all chuckle.

"I'm fixing to make some hot chocolate. Would yall like some?"

"I would love some," Kate says.

"Oh, I also made some decaf coffee."

"I'll take some of that," Gibbs chimes in.

"So," Jeff says as Gibbs and Kate make their way into the living room. "Did you two enjoy your walk?"

"As a matter of fact, we did. Thank you," Kate says as she and Gibbs sit down on the couch.

"Your brother has been telling me all of your deep, dark secrets," Tony says.

Kate shoots Jeff a warning look. "He better not have."

Jeff and Tony laugh.

"Just remember, dear brother," Kate says, sarcastically. "I can take you…and I will."

Jeff looks over at Tony. "She's right. I better be nice."

"Rats!," Tony says in a fake-like disappointed tone.

"Hey, Mom," Becca says as Lauren walks into the living room. "You ought to tell Uncle Jethro and Tony about what I did to Nini's pie, that Christmas when I was a baby."

"Oh, that," Lauren says, smiling. "When Becca was 15 months old, we were at my parents' house for Christmas that year and my Mom was doing a ton of baking, as she most always did. One thing she made that year was my Aunt Sharla's favorite, chocolate pie. Well, at one point, my Mom had stepped out of the kitchen and all of a sudden, I heard my Aunt Sharla call out, "My PIE!" So, we all went rushing into the kitchen and Aunt Sharla was holding Becca up. She had crawled up in a chair at the table, crammed her right hand in the middle of the chocolate pie and she had meringue all over her little arm and the front of her."

Everyone busts out laughing.

"Of course, I took her and gave her a bath…"

"Can we start the movie now?," Braden asks.

"In a second." Lauren turns her attention toward the kitchen, hearing the tea kettle whistling. "Anyone who wants hot chocolate, follow me."


	10. Chapter 10

"Okay. So I'm guessing that everyone got at least one thing that they wanted," Lauren says as everyone admires their gifts.

"I know I did," Kate says, squeezing Gibbs's hand.

"Me, too," Gibbs says and then, kisses Kate's hand.

"I really appreciate my gifts," Tony says. "I just feel bad that I didn't bring anything."

"It wasn't necessary, Tony," Jeff says.

"We're all just glad you came," Lauren says.

"Thank you," Tony says, extremely touched.

"Well," Jeff says. "I think we better start getting ready for church."

"Kate, are you sure you don't mind singing with me again this morning?," Lauren asks as everyone starts milling around.

"I'm sure," Kate says, reassuringly.

"Poor Mrs. Benson. What a thing to wake up to on Christmas morning-laryngitis," Jeff comments.

"Yeah," Kate agrees.


	11. Chapter 11

"Tony, it was great to see you again," Jeff says, shaking Tony's hand as he, Kate, and Gibbs prepare to leave. "Thanks for coming."

"Well, thank you all for having me. It truly has been the bestest Christmas I've had in a long time."

"We're so glad you came, Tony," Lauren says, hugging him.

"Thank you," Tony says, breaking the hug. "Bye, guys!," he says to the kids and then, walks toward the car.

"Bye, Tony," they say in unison.

"Jethro," Jeff says, hugging him. "Thanks for coming."

"We enjoyed it. Thank you for everything," Gibbs says, breaking the hug.

"You're welcome. And thank you for taking such good care of my sister."

"You bet."

"Take care, Jethro," Lauren says, hugging him.

"You, too," Gibbs says, breaking the hug. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome."

"Goodbye, Uncle Jethro," Becca says.

"Goodbye, Uncle Jethro," Braden says.

"Bye-bye," he says, hugging them and then, steps aside.

"Well, Sis. It's really been great," Jeff says to an almost tearful Kate.

"Yes, it has." She hugs her brother and then, begins to cry.

"You've really got yourself a good man there, Sis," Jeff says, tearfully, as he hugs her tightly. "And I truly thank God for that."

Kate nods and then, breaks the hug. "Thank you so much for seeing me through those tough years and for never giving up on me."

"I could have never given up on you, Sis. God worked things out for everyone's good. It's hard to understand why bad things happen, like Mom's and Dad's divorce, and how things like this can affect people differently. But just remember that when you put your trust in the Lord, things have a way of working out."

"I will," she says and then, sniffles.

"Come here," he says, pulling her into another hug. "I love you, Sis," he says, tearfully.

"I love you, too," she says, crying.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you, too," she says, breaking the hug.

"I love you, Sweet Sister," Lauren says, hugging Kate.

"I love you, too," she says and then, breaks the hug.

"Bye, guys," she says, hugging her niece and nephew.

"Bye, Aunt Kate," they say in unison.

"Yall be good," she says, breaking the hug.

"We will," Becca says.

"Love yall."

"Love you, too," they say in unison.

Gibbs puts his arm around her and escorts her to the car. He opens the door and she climbs in. Once in the car, Kate breaks down, crying more.

Tony reaches forward with his right hand, from the back seat, and pats her on her right shoulder in a gesture of comfort. Kate reaches up with her right hand and squeezes his hand in response, as if to say thank you.

Before Gibbs starts the car, he reaches over and pats Kate's left thigh. She looks up at him and smiles, slightly, through her tears.

As Gibbs starts the car, Jeff, Lauren, Becca, and Braden all wave. Gibbs, Kate, and Tony wave back as Gibbs pulls out of the driveway and drives away.


	12. Chapter 12

"Are you okay, Sweetheart?," Gibbs asks Kate, pulling her closer, and kissing the side of her head as they snuggle on the living room couch, while watch the evening news on TV.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she says, resting her head on his chest.

"Missing your family?"

"Our family…and yes. Very much so." She pauses, slightly. "I guess I didn't realize just how much I've been missing them until lately. Getting to see them all at our wedding and then, getting to go and spend Christmas with Jeff, Lauren, and the kids…," she says, tearing up. "I mean it's not like I never got to see them, but it's just…" She starts crying.

"I know," he says, kissing her head.

"You know, I said a while back that Tony and McGee were worse than my brothers, and that my brothers were practically psychotic… I really did mean that in the nicest way."

Gibbs chuckles.

Kate chuckles through her tears. "The truth is that all five of my siblings and I have always been very close. Then, when our parents divorced, I went through some dark years. Their divorce hurt us all, but I tried to deal with it in the wrong way."

"Yeah."

"But, I'm okay now and so are they. I just miss them so much and wish we could get together more often."

"I know, Sweetheart," he says and then, kisses her head.

"But, I still can't imagine being any happier than I am right now." She looks up at him. "You're my family now, too, and I couldn't ask for anything more."

Gibbs puts his right hand behind her neck, pulls her head closer, and kisses her on the lips. "I do love you so much," he says, caressing her face.

"And I love you," she says and then, kisses him again. "Jeff was right. He told me when we said goodbye this morning that I've really got myself a good man and that he truly thanked God for that."

"You're not so bad yourself, you know?"

They chuckle and then, share another kiss on the lips.

"Are you hungry?," he asks her.

"Now that you mention it, I'm starving."

"How about a pizza?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll go get the coupons," she says, getting up from the couch and going toward the kitchen.

THE END

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

©2011 By Jeanniefan78/April*No part of this story may be performed or reproduced in any way, in whole or in part, without prior written consent of the author.*All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Some characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated or affiliated with the owners, creators, cast, crew, or producers of NCIS or any media franchise. This is strictly for fan enjoyment only. No copyright infringement is intended.


End file.
